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HOW TO REPAIR 
SHOES 



BY FRANK L. WEST 

HEAD OF SHOEMAKING DIVISION 




'"^aaoMaO"' 



TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUS- 
TRIAL INSTITUTE 



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Institute Press 

Tuskegee Institute, Alabama 

1912 



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PREFACE 

Finding that there was nothing in the form of writing 
and illustrations which I might use to keep constantly be- 
fore my pupils while teaching them how to repair and 
make shoes, I set to work compiling a set of lessons 
which would meet this immediate need. The lessons 
on the following pages are planned so as to take one from 
the very first steps of caring for a shop and making 
waxed ends to the place where he is ready to make a 
shoe. Upon each step illustrated herein, a great deal 
more might be said.. My main object, however, is to put, 
in a clear, compact way, the essential facts. 

This book is dedicated to the thousands of young men 
who are anxious to do common things in uncommon 

ways. 

Yours very truly, 



Copyright, 1912 
By Frank L. West 



CONTENTS 



The Proper Way to keep a Shoeshop 7 

Making a Waxed End ° 

Some Points to bear in mind about Waxed Ends 12 

To make the Plain Stitch 12 

The Study of Different Awls 13 

How to Sharpen Knives 15 

The Square-awl like the Knife and the Chisel 17 

The Divisions of a Last 18 

The French Hammer, Welt-knife and Rhan-file 20 

Repairing a Heel 21 

How a McKay Sewed Shoe is made 25 

Preparation of Sole Leather 29 

Halfsoiing a Shoe (nailed) 32 

The Back and Lock Stitches 42 

The Underneath Patch and the Backbone Stitch 45 

Shoe Leathers 49 

Putting on a Cement Patch 51 

Halfsoiing a Sewed Shoe 55 

Preparing an Insole for a Sewed Shoe -59 

Patching a Shoe at the Tip 64 

Halfsoiing aJTurned Shoe 67 

List of Tools Necessary to have 74 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 



THE PROPER WAY TO KEEP A SHOE 
SHOP 

A Shoe shop should be kept clean as any 
other place of business. A clean swept floor, 
clean, clear corners, bright walls, clean win- 
dows and everything straight and in place 
go to make a pleasant shop to work in and a 
pleasant place for people to visit. 

Show me the inside of a shoemaker's place 
of business, and I will be able to tell you to 
a great degree the kind of customers he has 
and the class of work he does. 

The shop should be well ventilated and 
lighted for the sake of the workmen's 
health. There should be set or special hours 
during the day for sweeping and arranging 
things. Often a workman's work seems a 
burden because things are not tidy and 
straight. When putting down a pair of 
shoes, set them straight with insides together. 
The little things count. A bright, pleasant 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

shop is the first step towards making work a 
pleasure. 

1. Always sweep from the front door to- 
wards the rear end of the shop. 

2. The easiest way to sweep is to move 
everything, placing it in its proper place as 
you go so that when you are through every- 
thing will be straight. When possible cover 
all machines while sweeping. 

3. Never leave the work bench without 
leaving everything straight. 

4. Never keep heavy tools, such as iron 
lasts and lap-irons on your bench. Have 
bench system. 

MAKING A WAXED END 

The threads which shoemakers use are 
called ''ends" (warped thread twisted) and 
are made of two or more threads or strands 
of smaller thread, or flax, as it is called. 

The first thing in making an end is break- 
ing the flax. To break the flax, hold the 
main part, which is to be broken for the end, 
in the left hand, firmly gripping it where 

8 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

you want it broken, between the first finger 
and thumb so that it will not turn beyond 
that point. With the right hand, lay the 
part of flax which is attached to the ball on 
the knee and roll it from you. This will 
cause the small flax fibers to separate, thus 
enabling you to break it easily. When the 
fibers separate give the thread a light, quick 
jerk and it will break. When the thread 







breaks pull it apart gradually so that the fi- 
bers will taper. See Diagram No. 1 for 
breaking. 

When putting threads together lay them 
one just behind the other so that the end 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

will have a very fine point. See Diagram 
No. 2. 




Putting the threads together 

Roll the end with the same movement as 
shown in Diagram No. 1, only allow it to turn 
between the fingers of the left hand. After 
rolling or twisting, wax well. 

TO PUT ON THE BRISTLE 




To put on a bristle, wax the fine ends 
well to the point. Catch the bristle, holding 
head in left hand, pull the wax toward the 
end briskly, thus waxing only the part to 



10 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

which the thread is to be fastened. Take 
the bristle between the first finger and 
thumb, Diagram No. 3, and catch the fine 



i. 









part of thread with it. Twist thread and 
bristle well together, slanting to the end. 
Stick hole in thread and pull bristle through 
to fasten it. See Diagram No. 5. After 
fastening thread, cut off heads of bristles 
and sandpaper the ends. 



11 



SOME POINTS TO BEAR IN MIND 
ABOUT WAXED ENDS 

Never make an end longer than is neces- 
sary to sew a shoe. If an end is long enough 
to sew two shoes, double the amount of work 
is done by pulling the double end through 
the first shoe. By doing this, the end will 
have to be pulled two or three times more 
than necessary. The second shoe, when 
sewed with such an end, is never as strong 
as the first one. 

The thread grows weaker and weaker as 
it is used. The second shoe gets the dead 
thread. 

When sewing, keep the thread well waxed. 
When the thread is well waxed, the awl is 
not too large, and the end is pulled up well, 
the shoes seldom rip. 

TO MAKE THE PLAIN STITCH 

1. Push the awl through the leather from 
the right side. 

2. Put the left-hand bristle through and 
then the right-hand bristle. 

3. The left-hand bristle should always be 

12 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

in the side of the hole which is farthest from 
you. 

4. Catch hold of the bristles and pull 
them through. 

5. After they are well through, catch the 
end below the bristles and finish the stitch. 

6. Pull the end up well and hold it until 
you can feel the wax set. 

7. After the first stitch is made, the bris- 
tle from the left hand will always come 
through on top of the stitch, or end, on the 
right side. 

8. Keep the hands free from grease while 
sewing with a waxed end. 

9. Always sew towards you. 

THE STUDY OF DIFFERENT AWLS 

Shoemakers use four kinds of awls, namely: 
Pegging-awl, Stabbing-awl (or straight-awl) , 
Sewing-awl (inseamimg or whipping-awl) 
and the Stitching-awl (or square-awl) . The 
Pegging-awl is used to drive holes in the 
sole for pegs. It is sometimes used to make 
holes in the heels before the heel-nails are 

13 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

put in. The Stabbing-awl is used in sewing 
rips in the upper of a shoe and any other 
kind of sewing which is to be done in straight, 
flat material. The Inseaming-awl is used 
when sewing the welt on a shoe, sewing a 
patch down to the sole, and in some cases 
when sewing the sole on the shoe. The 
Sewing-awl is round or oval shaped at the 
point. This awl will make stitches which 
have a tendency to run into one another. 
For this reason it is better for making long 
stitches such as those on the welt. The 
Stitching-awl is used for stitching on the sole. 
This awl (the Square-awl) makes a square 
hole which allows you to make a very fine 
stitch when sewing on the sole. The flat or 
square hole does not allow the stitches to 
run together. 

When sewing, no awl should be used 
which is as large as the two ends put to- 
gether. The hole which the awl makes must 
be so small that the threads will ofifer resist- 
ance when being pulled through. (The 
threads will have to be pulled hard to get 

14 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

them through.) Always be sure that the awl 
is small enough. 

The right sized awl, with an end well wax- 
ed and pulled up (until it sets) are two 
things which are necessary to make a good 
strong stitch. 

HOW TO SHARPEN KNIVES 

Diagram at top of page 16 tells you not 
to begin half-way the blade to sharpen a 
straight knife. Why? Because beginning 
at that point, you will in a short while have a 
knife with a blunt or dull edge. The knife 
will seem to be made of poor metal. In or- 
der to make a knife cut, we must sharpen it 
from A to B according to diagram so that the 
blade can gradually work its way through the 
leather. A thick blade coming to a point all 
at once cuts hard, therefore, bear in mind 
that the knife must be held fiat on the stone 
or sharpener in order to get the right shape 
as shown in diagrams. 

Note the diagram of the lip knife. It is 
sharpened to a bevel on the side that cuts 

15 









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HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

next to shoe only half-way and held flat on 
the outside. Thus a lip knife is sharpened 
like a chisel. 

There are two movements in cutting, for- 
ward and downward. A butcher never cuts 
a slice of meat without pulling his knife in 
two directions, across the meat and down 
through it. The chisel is made to cut by 
pressing it downward and across the wood. 

THE SQUARE-AWL LIKE THE KNIFE 

AND THE CHISEL 

The Square-awl must be sharpened so 
that the effects of these two movements can 
be gotten so that it can cut its way through 
the sole. Since the blade is flat or square, 
it cannot be turned in its place, or be pull- 
ed across. The blade must be cut off at an 
angle, i. e., it must be sharpened so that the 
point on the outside of the curve will be 
sharp and to a point, tapering to the inside 
of the curve. This will allow a straight, 
steady pressure on the awl to have the same 
effect as that gotten by the two movements 
in cutting with a chisel and knife. Thus, 
the awl cuts its way through freely. 

17 



THE DIVISIONS OF A LAST 



Since shoes receive their shape by being 
formed over the last, it is best that the divis- 
ions of the last be given some thought. 

The last is divided into four parts; namely, 
The Toe, Ball, Shank and the Heel. 

Diagram No. 1 shows these parts and their 
shapes. 



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18 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

Diagram No. 2 shows the length of the in- 
side of the divisions as compared with those 
of the outside. Notice the long shank and 
short ball. 

Diagram No. 3 shows the outside of the 



XD^V-g. 







divisions and the effect they have upon the 
shape of the shoe. Notice the short shank 
and the long ball. 

19 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

Always remember that the ball of a shoe is 
longer on the outside having a short shank. 

The ball is shorter on the inside having a 
long shank. Compare outside and inside 
Diagrams 2 and 3. 

THE FRENCH HAMMER, WELT- 
KNIFE AND RHAN-FILE 

The French hammer has a round ball face. 
When heavy, it is used for beating and 
moulding the soles in shape. When light, 
it is used for hammering in rounded places 
such as the shank. 

The Welt-knife is used for trimming the 
upper surface of the sole along the welt , (or 
the part next to the upper) . It is sharpened 
the same way as the lip-knife. 

The Rhan-file is used for smoothing sur- 
face after the Welt-knife has been used. 



20 



REPAIRING A HEEL 

The heel, being more directly under the 
body and the first to strike the ground, 
generally wears out first. For the above 
reason, much care must be taken to see that 
good leather and solid work is put into it. 

Pull oH the worn top-piece and see that 
what is left is hammered down solidly. Next 



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split a piece of solid, easy-cutting, scrap sole 
leather, so that two pieces can be gotten out 
of one. Put them on the shoe as shown in 
Diagrams Nos. 1 and 2; fasten them on 
well, piece by piece, with tacks. See that 



21 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

the heel is level before putting on the top- 
piece. (In some cases, if necessary, a small 
piece can be put under after the top-piece 
has been trimmed.) After it is level, put on 
top-piece, trim in shape, then dravs^ guide 
line and nail down. 



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I 







Always put the nails thicker on the side 
that is worn down most, to protect the heel. 

Rasp the heel well and in shape; smooth 
with buffer and sandpaper. When finished, 
it should set level (Diagram No. 6) unless 
you are ordered to leave it otherwise by the 
wearer. 



22 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 



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24 



HOW A McKAY SEWED SHOE IS 
MADE 

The Mckay sewed shoe is made on the 
same principle as a nailed shoe. The leather 
for the inner sole or the foundation of the 
nailed shoe need only be strong enough to 
hold the clinched nails. 

This inner sole is placed on the last and 
trimmed in shape first; after this the upper 
is lasted over the last and tacked down with 
short tacks. The upper is pulled over at 
least one-half inch so that the nails in outer 
sole can catch it. The space on the inner 
sole that is not covered by the upper leather 
is filled in with tarred felt or some other ma- 
terial that will be water proof and at the 
same time serve to stop the crying of the 
soles. 

This shoe may or may not have a middle 
sole. The middle sole (or slip sole as it is 
often called) is put on the shoe next and al- 
lowed to extend back just beyond the shank 
line. At this end it is trimmed down to a 

25 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

feather. Tacks are used to fasten this sole in 
place. The outer sole is next put on and 
trimmed in shape. This, the outer sole, is 
then nailed on the shoe with nails that are 
long enough to go through the middle sole 
and clinch on the inner sole, catching the up- 
per at the same time. 

The only differences between the nailed 
shoe and the McKay sewed shoe are these: 

THE McKAY SEWED SHOE 

1. The middle solqis not fastened securely 
when it is first put on. 2. The outer sole is 
fastened on with a thread which goes through 
and catches the inner sole. This thread 
takes the place of the nails in the nailed shoe. 

Notice the cut on page 27 of cross section 
of the McKay sewed shoe. At the left side 
the channel can be seen turned back. The 
heavy black line which passes through the 
outer sole, middle sole and the inner sole 
represents the stitch that is made on the 
McKay machine. This stitch holds the 
outer sole on. This stitch takes the place of 
the nails in a nailed shoe. The short heavy 

26 




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27 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

black line at the left end of the sole which 
does not pass through to the inside of the 
shoe represents a set of stitches which are 
sometimes put on the shoe in order that it 
might appear as a shoe with a welt to it. 

The right side of same cut shows the sole 
with the channel closed and covering both 
sets of stitches. 



28 



PREPARATION OF SOLE LEATHER 

All sole leather should be put in case be- 
fore it is used. Good soles often fail to give 
the service they should when they are not 
properly prepared before being put on the 
shoe. 

The first step towards the preparation of 
sole leather is wetting it thoroughly, in other 
words, put it in water and allow it to remain 
until it is wet through. After this take it out 
and set it up so that all of the water can 
drain out that will. It is better to wet leather 
the day before it is to be used so that it will 
have one night at least to set and mull. 
When it is wet the day before using, it should 
be allowed to drain and wrapped very close 
in cloth or paper to prevent it from getting 
too dry for use. If it is kept close it will re- 
main moist and cut like cheese. In this 
stage the best results can be gotten in work- 
manship. 

MOULDING 

All soles should be cut in rough shape be- 
29 



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4 




HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

fore being put on the shoe and all meaty sub- 
stance trimmed from them. In trimming 
away the meaty substance (if there should be 
any) be sure and see that the sole is made 
the same thickness all over. After this the 
sole should be hammered out for two reasons: 
first, to make all of the grains of the leather 
more compact; and second, to mould it into 
shape so that it will lay close to the shoe all 
around the edges. The sole should be 
moulded so well that there will be nothing 
to do when nailing or sewing it on but 
fasten it where it is. Diagram on page 30 
shows three views of the sole after it has been 
trimmed in rough shape and moulded. 

Too much attention cannot be given to 
the preparation of sole leather. The shoe- 
maker who understands how to prepare his 
leather properly and does it at all times will 
be sure to win customers. 

Under no circumstances is it wise to take 
sole leather right out of the water and put it 
on the shoes. 



31 



HALFSOLING A SHOE (NAILED) 

The shoe that is to be halfsoled first is a 
McKay sewed shoe. It should be borne in 
mind now just how the McKay sewed shoe is 
put together as stated in previous lesson. 

The first thing to do is to cut off the old 
soles. Be careful to see if there is a set of 
stitches on the outside of the middle sole; 
if so, be sure to cut them between the middle 
and the outer sole. 

CUTTING OFF THE OLD SOLE 

To cut off the old sole stick the knife be" 
tween the soles at line a (sec Diagram 1) 
and cut the soles apart around to the oppo- 
site side of shoe to same line; hold the old 
sole back with one hand and cut off at line a 
making sure not to cut towards the upper. 
Line a (Diagram 1) represents the shank line 
or the imaginary line where the forepart and 
shank meet. If the sole is cut off at this 
point the new sole can be cut by it with an 
allowance for an inch lap which is best for 
making a substantial joint. 

32 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 
INSPECTING THE SHOE 

It is now time to inspect the old shoe to 
see if there is anything wrong with the 
foundation. See if the upper is worn around 
the edge of the inner sole; see if the middle 
sole has been worn too thin at some point. 
Everything must be put in first-class condi- 











tion before putting on the new sole. The 
shoe should be leveled and the inner sole 
should be tested to see if it is sound enough 
at all places to hold the nails that are to be 
put in the outer sole. 



33 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 
FITTING ON THE SOLE 

In fitting on the sole it is best to skive the 
new sole that is to be put on first so that if 
something goes wrong the place for sole 
can be moved up a little. If the shoe is 








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skived first the sole cannot be made longer 
and a bad joint will be made. See Diagram 
1 to 4. Care should be taken to see that 
the new sole is cut thin enough at line b on 
Diagram 4 to make a neat joint and yet left 
thick enough to hold the nails which are to 
fasten it across the shank. 

After the soles have been skived, tarred felt 



34 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

should be put between soles to keep the shoe 
from crying. The felt should be made thin 
enough to avoid any bumps in the sole. 
Fasten the sole on across the shank; drive 
one nail in the middle of the sole at the toe 
about one inch from the end; trim the new 
sole square with the middle sole (or square 



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with the shape of the inner sole in case the 
shoe has no middle sole) , leaving it about one- 
sixteenth of an inch larger all around so that 
the edges can be rasped up without making 
the sole closer to the upper than it was at 



35 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

first. After the sole is trimmed, draw a 
guide line around the edge of the sole for 
nailing far enough from the edge to allow the 
nails when driven in to strike about the same 
place where the McKay stitch was. Be sure 



v?. 







in nailing that the shoe is level on the iron 
last. Many times the shoe is hammered out 
of shape and the nails are not clinched be- 
cause the last is not directly under the nail. 
This happens mostly on the outside of shoe. 

36 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 
PREPARATION OF THE EDGE 

After the sole is nailed on and the bottom 
is made level, prepare the edge for the iron. 
The iron should be smaller than the sole as 
it now stands. The sole is first rasped up un- 
til it blends with the middle sole. After this 
the edge is bufifed until it is smooth. The 
surplus on top of middle sole is trimmed ofif 
with the welt knife and rubbed down with 
the bone. The bottom edge of the sole is 
next trimmed of¥ to fit the guard of the edge 
iron. This bottom can be smoothed with the 
fine part of the rasp, after which it is bufifed. 
The edge is now sandpapered until very 
smooth. 

SETTING UP THE EDGE 

It is better before applying the edge ink 
to first set up the edge by moistening it with 
a wet sponge and then using the warm iron. 
This, the first setting, enables the workman 
to be sure that his edge is right before apply- 
ing the ink. The ink is afterwards appHed 
and left to stand until nearly dry. At this 
stage the warm iron is again rubbed over it 

37 




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HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

until the edge is burnished to a high polish. 
In order to do good burnishing the shoe 
must be held firmly in one hand and the bur- 
nishing iron equally as firm in the other and 
rubbed back and forth with a square, sturdy 
movement. 

7 







CLEANING THE BOTTOM 

After the edges are burnished (or set up) 
the bottom is cleaned by rasping the surface 
of sole over the nails with the fine flat side of 
the rasp to get the nails smooth with the 
leather. Next buff the top surface from the 
sole with the grain, making sure that the im- 



40 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

pression which the guard of the iron has 
made is left on the edge. After the bottom 
is clean, smooth it with sandpaper. The bot- 
tom should never be sandpapered until it is 
dry when a clean white bottom is wanted. 
In order that the shoe might appear neat it is 
well to make a line across the sole at the 
shank line (line b Diagram I) and apply a 
gloss polish over the shank to this point. 
The fudge wheel should be used around the 
edge of sole to give the job a finished appear- 
ance. 



41 



THE BACK AND LOCK STITCHES 

The Back Stitch is used on common rips 
when the shoemaker has no machine on 
which to do repair work. Diagram No 1. 
shows the most common place where the 
stitch is used. 



\?M. 




Diagram No. 1 

In making the stitch, use a single thread 
with a needle. To sew, leave the knot on 
the inside and pull the needle through to the 
outside. With your awl, make a hole and 
carry the thread back through, thus making 
one stitch. Make another hole and from the 
inside bring the needle back to the outside. 



42 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

At this point, the awl will have to be stuck 
back in the second hole by the other stitch in 
order to make the second stitch. This back 
movement gives the stitch its name, Back 
Stitch. See Diagram No. 1. 

"THE LOCK STITCH" 

The Lock Stitch is mostly used when the 
upper is ripped loose from the welt at the 
sole. In this case, a row of stitches is made 
along the edge of the upper^ into which a 
second row of stitches is locked (or sewed 
through) . Do not catch enough upper to 
cause the shoe to wrinkle when being sewed 
down. The second stitches are made through 
the sole, and the upper is pulled in its place 
by the first row. The stitches should be 
pulled down to where the upper and welt 
meet. See Diagram No. 2. Always see that 
the upper is dampened before beginning to 
lock-stitch. A stabbing-awl is used to make 
the stitches in the upper when lock-stitching. 
The inseaming-awl is used to lock the upper 
to the sole. Always sew toward you when 

43 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

putting in the stitches in the upper, so that 
when you begin to lock it down, you will be 
sewing toward you in the sole. Always use 
a heavy end in lock-stitching— from 8 to 12 
strands. 




Diagram No. 2 



44 



THE UNDERNEATH PATCH AND 
THE BACKBONE STITCH 

Frequently there are places to be repaired 
which call for a patch between the upper 
and lining of the shoe. Such a patch we 
will call the underneath patch. The job will 
be strengthened by stitching the place down 
with the backbone stitch. Diagram No. 1 
shows a place which has been broken in the 
vamp at the front of the shoe. This is a 
most common place to use such a patch and 
a very delicate place to repair. 

To repair this, rip the vamp from the 
quarter on both sides of the broken place far 
back enough to allow a patch to be put under 
or between the upper and the lining. Be- 
fore putting the patch in its place (dotted 
lines in Diagram No. 1 represent the patch 
in its place) sandpaper the top surface so that 
it will take the cement. After this is done 
put the patch in its place and, with a small 
wooden paddle, distribute channel or rubber 
cement over the two surfaces that are to be 
stuck together. 

45 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

After the cement has set a while, stick the 
parts that have ripped apart back together. 
Make special effort to join them as they were 
at first. 



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46 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 
THE BACKBONE STITCH 

To make the job strong and at the same 
time neat, the parts should be stitched down 
with the Backbone Stitch. In making this 
stitch (See Diagram No. 2) the place is 
first whipped together, catching the material 
through to the lining of upper. This is 
done with one end and the stabbing-awl. 
The stitch is made just as the back stitch is 
made, only it is put in across the broken place. 
Be sure and keep the stitches straight across 
the place on the outside and the same length. 

After the place has been whipped together, 
the stitching down is done. With the same 
end sew down the stitches. This is done 
with the back stitch catching every other 
stitch through to the lining and pulling it 
down in the joint of broken place as though 
you were driving the stitch down with a sta- 
ple. After pulling down every other stitch go 
back and catch the rest the same way. 
When through cut off thread and beat the 
place down lightly. 

47 







48 



SHOE LEATHERS 

The skins which are most commonly made 
into leather for the purpose of making boots 
and shoes are taken from the steer, calf, 
horse, colt, goat, sheep, lamb and kangaroo. 
These skins are called "hides," "kips" and 
"skins." The skins from the larger animals 
such as the steer and horse, are called 
"hides." Skins which come from the half 
grown steer or cow are called "kips." 

The skins from smaller animals such as the 
goat, sheep and kid are simply called skins. 

The skin of the steer is most generally 
made into sole leather. Whenever it is used 
for upper leather, it is split. Splitting causes 
it to lose much of its durability. 

Calf skin is not split; it is noted for its du- 
rability. Nothing better could be wished. 
This skin is tanned whole. 

Skins from the horse and colt are also very 
strong. Neither of these is used for sole 
leather. 

Goat skins are uniform in texture and 
strength, and are very generally used. For 

49 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

real fine work, the kid skin is used. The 
finest grained skin is gotten from the kid be- 
fore the animal has had any food except that 
gotten from its mother. 

Sheep skin is quite spongy and pHable. 
This does not make such a strong leather. 
Cheap grades of soft shoes are made from 
sheep skin. 

The lamb skin makes a very fine grained 
leather if it is taken from the animal before 
it is one month old. After this age the skin 
begins to get coarse. 

The kangaroo skin makes a very tough 
and durable leather. It stretches but little 
although it is quite pliable. 

The animal which is exposed to the 
weather most and which has to exert itself 
most for its living always produces a skin of 
superior quality. 



50 



PUTTING ON A CEMENT PATCH 

As a rule, shoemakers consider cement 
patching a hard job and try to avoid it. 
Most of the time they would rather sew a 
patch and spoil the looks of the shoe than 
take pains to prepare the patch properly for 
cementing. 






"^^ 



The very first step is to select a patch from 
the same material that the shoe is made of so 
that the fibers will cohere. Next see that the 
part to be patched is clean and dry. Tighten 
the place with stretchers. Now proceed ac- 
cording to diagrams. 

51 





52 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

Diagram 1. Skive patch in shape desired, 
bringing outer edges to a feather. Diagram 
2. Lay patch over the hole and mark place 
with crayon; make cross guide lines with 
pencil. Diagram 3. Take off the patch 




and skive the shoe. Diagram 4. Put ce- 
ment on patch and shoe; distribute evenly 
with small wooden paddle. (Note: Be sure 
and keep cement well corked. The thumb 
should be held over the mouth of the bottle 
while cement is being used.) Let the cement 
turn white on shoe and patch. Diagram 5. 



53 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

Warm patch and shoe with an even heat and 
place together making guide Unes meet. 
Press firmly together all over and smooth 




WJ 



well with warm heel-burnisher. Diagram 6. 
After patch has set well, sew it down to sole 
well back and trim off surplus leather. 

54 



HALFSOLING A SEWED SHOE 

Cut off old sole and pick out the old 
stitches. Cut off all double soles next to the 
welt and pull the middle sole from the outer 
sole. This will leave the stitches out of the 
middle sole. Test the welt all around. If 
found to be weak at any place, it should be 
re-sewed. 

First, fit on the sole as usual, having the 
sole well moulded to the shoe and the filling 
in. Trim the sole, leaving it a little wider 
than the welt so that the edge can be worked 
on without cutting the welt closer to the 
shoe. After trimming the sole, make a 
guide-line for cutting the channel close 
enough to the edge of the sole to throw the 
bed of the channel directly under the old 
hole in the welt. See Diagram. Be sure 
that the channel is deep enough to hide the 
stitches. (Half the thickness of the sole is 
deep enough.) 

When the bed of the channel is too far in 
and not directly under the old hole in the 

55 



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03 



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6 





HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

welt, the sole will be drawn from the oppo- 
site side of that on which you are sewing, 
consequently, to sew the opposite side, the 
welt will be drawn down, causing the shoe to 
look much narrower, and in most cases, to 
become much tighter. This one point has 
caused many shoemakers to lose customers. 
The work was neatly done by them, but the 
shoe was left with a narrow welt and a very 
uncomfortable feeling. 

The channel, when cut, generally is about 
1-8 inch from the outer edge of the sole. 
This space between the edge and the chan- 
nel will be covered by the guard of the edge 
iron. This guard will make an impression 
which will hide the channel. 

See that the welt is moist before beginning 
to sew. When sewing see that the stitches 
on the welt do not pull through, by pulling 
harder on the right-hand thread (the stitch 
on the sole) . See to it that the awl is smaller 
than the two threads put together so that 
there will be a resistance when pulling them 
through. 



57 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

After the shoe has been sewed, rub down 
the channel while the leather is yet moist. Some 
shoemakers use the bone to rub down the 
stitches in the channel before closing it. 
This operation causes the channel to be 
forced so wide open that it will be hard to 
close. If the stitches are put directly in the 
bed of the channel, there will be no need 
to rub them down before closing channel. 

The job will not be complete until the 
edges are set up, shanks blacked; the shank- 
line and the joint of the soles fudged. The 
stitches must also be divided with the stitch 
divider or fudged to give the finish. Black- 
ing the shanks is the last thing to do on a re- 
pair job. It is better to use a gloss polish. 
Put it on after everything else has been done 
sothat you will not have to wait on the shoe 
to dry. 

How far from the edge of joint should the 
nails be put? How long should an end be 
for sewing on the average halfsole? Why is 
leather put in case before it is used? 



58 



PREPARING AN INSOLE FOR A 
SEWED SHOE 

The insole is the foundation of the shoe. 
When selecting leather for it, much care 
must be taken in order to get material that is 
light, firm and flexible. Light, because no 
surplus leather is wanted; firm, because it 
holds the whole shoe together, and flexible, 
because the foot must have as little resistance 
as possible when a person is walking. 

The insole is first moulded to the last and 
fastened to it with as many nails as are neces- 
sary to hold it properly in place. Two at 
the toe, two at the ball, one at the shank and 
one at the heel. (Some shoemakers use one 
at the toe, one at the ball, one at the shank 
and one at the heel.) Trim the sole well in 
shape by the outline of the bottom of the 
last. The width of the shank will be deter- 
mined by the best judgment of the workman. 
Under the ball on the inside is always a place 
where much care must be taken. It is here 
where one is most likely to leave the insole 

59 






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60 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

too wide. In order to get this particular 
place right, the sole will have to be trimmed 
under just a little; trim with the point 
of the square-point knife. This particular 
place, if not trimmed under just a little, will, 
after the shoe is finished, stand out from un- 
der the ball of the foot too much. By trim- 
ming it under, the foot is thrown directly 
over the inside bottom of the shoe. This 
particular point is explained more clearly in 
the next book, How to Bottom a Welted 
Shoe by Hand. 

The bar on the average shoe is 1-4 inch 
wide; the shoulder is the same except in the 
shank, where it is made gradually wider in 
order that the stitches at this point might be 
hidden. When the shoulder leaves the 
shank and ball line it begins to widen until it 
reaches the middle of the shank, then it be- 
gins to blend back to its 1-4 inch width, end- 
ing just 1-8 inch beyond the heel line. 

See diagrams for cutting the bar and 
shoulder. After making the line for shoul- 
der as instructed above, make a horizontal 

61 




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62 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

cut in line half the thickness of the sole; 
make next a slanting cut so that a V can be 
taken out. This V will allow the lip of the 
lip-knife to run freely along the bar when 
taking out the shoulder. After the shoulder 
is cut out, make line for your bar 1-4 inch 
back. Make cut half the thickness of the sole; 
make second cut to take out V and cut out 
long enough bevel to allow the inseaming- 
awl to pass through the bar easily and come 
out flat on the shoulder. After the bar and 
shoulder are cut, punch the holes with the 
inseaming-awl 1-4 inch apart all around. Be- 
gin at the tip line to slant the holes a little 
toward the center (of toe) so that there will 
be plenty of room between the stitches at this 
point, and allow the holes on the outside of 
the bar to be 1-4 inch apart. 



63 



PATCHING A SHOE AT THE TIP 

Often the desire to mend the place broken 
hastily causes the workman to lose sight of 
the fact that the wearer wants his shoe to 
look neat when he wears it. 



^V. 







Patching a shoe which is broken just at the 
tip is quite easily done if the right steps are 
taken. 

The same process is used generally when 
putting on cement patches. Before putting 

64 




a$ 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

in the stretchers to tighten the place (in this 
case) rip the tip loose so that one end of the 
patch can be put under as shown in Diagram 
No. 3. 

Fit the patch, cutting it as shown in Dia- 
gram No. 1. In this case, put on the patch 
and let it set, after which take out the 
stretcher and push the part that is left to go 
under the tip in its place. See dotted lines 
showing patch stuck under tip in Diagram 
No. 3. 

After this is done sew down tip again and 
fasten patch to the sole. 

Another way to put on this same patch is: 
first, cut the patch as shown in Diagram 1. 
Skive the edges. Second, rip the tip loose 
and push the piece under as shown in Dia- 
gram 3. Third, sew the patch down at tip. 
Fourth, put in the stretcher and tighten 
place. Lay patch back down over the upper 
and rub crayon over it. Fifth, lift patch and 
skive shoe. Apply cement. 



66 



HALFSOLING A TURNED SHOE 

Shoemakers generally dread to attempt 
halfsoling turned sole shoes. Many of them 
know how but do not care to concentrate 
their minds on the few small details of fitting 
on the soles. Others could do it and would 
do it easily if it were not for their being dis- 
couraged by some other workman. Repair- 
ing turned sole shoes calls for accuracy and 
doing the right thing always at the right 
time. 

Leather that is used for turned shoes should 
be firm and flexible. It should be well in 
case. The work should be started when 
there is ample time to sew on both soles and 
turn the shoe back to its right shape and put 
it on a last before stopping. 

Diagram No. 1 shows the shoe with holes 
in old soles before it is repaired. If the shoe 
has a cap, notches should be made on either 
side of the old sole and the places marked on 
the new sole to show how to get it (the cap) 
straight when lasting the upper. Rip the old 

67 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

sole from the upper as far back in the shank 
as the new sole is to come; cut the threads 
towards the old sole to avoid cutting the up- 
per. Do not cut off old soles yet. Cut 
the new sole (which is to be put on) in 
rough shape (Diagram 2); have the shank 
part in the shape desired. Place new sole 






on old sole and fasten it temporarily to old 
sole as in Diagram No. 3. Trim new sole 
the shape of old sole, leaving it about one- 
sixteenth of an inch larger so that there will 
be something to work on when finishing 
up the edge. Diagram No. 3 shows new 



68 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

sole fastened to old. Make guide lines across 
the shank end of new sole, extending them 
equal distance on the old soles. Make a line 
on old sole at bottom of new sole. These 
lines will show just where to place the new 
sole after the bar and channel have been cut. 
Diagram No. 4. shows the shoe with the 
old sole cut off. The old sole is cut off oval 
shaped or left longer in the center of the lap 
as shown in Diagram 4. The lap at the sides 
is left just long enough to allow one stitch to 
be made in the bar of the old sole. 

CUTTING THE BAR AND CHANNEL 

Mark the line around new sole for the 
shoulder. Make allowance for the one-six- 
teenth inch which was allowed on the new 
sole, that is, if the shoulder on the old sole is 
three-sixteenths of an inch wide; make the 
shoulder of the new sole one-fourth of an 
inch wide. Do not make shoulder on new 
sole wider unless the new sole is wider than 
the old sole. 

To cut the shoulder see lesson on prepara- 

69 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

tion of an insole on page 61. On the turn sole 
after cutting the shoulder the V is not cut out 
behind the bar; instead, make a channel and 
turn it back so that it can be rubbed down 
over the stitches. Do not punch the holes 
in the new soles; these will be made as you 
sew; the old holes in the upper will guide 





you. In some cases it is best not to use old 
holes; the desire to do an honest job and 
conditions will govern that part. Under 
normal conditions the stitches should be 
about one-fourth of an inch long. 



70 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 
SKIVING AND FASTENING ON NEW SOLE 

After the bar has been cut on the new 
sole, skive the old sole down to a feather; do 
not cut out the mark which was made 
across old sole at the shank. The close lines 
on lap in Diagram No. 4 show that the lap 






is skived thin. Next, place the new sole on 
old sole in its proper place, using the guide 
lines to help; mark the outline of the lap of 
old sole on the inside of the new sole. Dia- 
gram No. 6 shows old sole on new sole. Dia- 
gram No. 7 shows new sole with outline of 



71 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

lap of old sole on it. The new sole is then 
skived from the lines to the shank. Skive as 
much from new sole as there is material left 
on old sole so that a neat joint will be made. 
Be sure to leave the new sole thick enough 
at the joint to hold the nails which are to 
fasten it on. After this place the new sole 
back on the old sole (by guide lines) and 
fasten it at the shank with three nails. See 
Diagram No. 9. Fasten the bar of old sole to 
bar of new sole where they join with a short 
tack from the inside. 

LASTING AND SEWING 

Pull the sole through the bottom of upper 
that is loose and turn the upper on the wrong 
side. Pull the center of upper over the sole 
at toe and fasten with tack. Diagram No. 10. 
Next pull the upper over at side or at tip 
lines and fasten it. Pull it over next between 
the tip line and the joint and fasten it. 

The portions of upper which are not fas- 
tened must be evenly distributed while sewing. 
Begin sewing about two stitches below where 
the upper is ripped; bend the sole back to- 

72 



HOW TO REPAIR SHOES 

wards the heel to tighten the upper. Be 
very careful in crossing the joint. Do not 
pull stitch at this point tight enough to get 
upper out of shape. The bar determines the 
shape of the shoe, therefore the upper must 
lay close to it. The awl must come out di- 
rectly in the angle of the bar and shoulder. 





After the shoe is sewed fasten the lap of old 
sole down with the short flat-head tack. See 
Diagram No. 10. It is then turned and 
straightened. Put it on a last and set aside 
to dry, after which the edges are prepared 
and set up. 



73 



LIST Of TOOLS NECESSARY TO HAVE 

1 French Heavy Hammer - - - - $ .50 

1 Plain Hammer No. - - - - - .30 

1 Square-Point Knife ------ .15 

1 Lip Knife . . .15 

1 Eight-inch Rasp ------- .25 

1 Pair of Nippers .25 

1 Welt-Knife .25 

1 Rhan-File --------- .25 

1 Heel Prier .10 

1 Scratch Bone ------- .10 

1 Buffer .10 

1 Knife Sharpener ------ .15 

1 Half Dozen Plain Awl Handles - - .10 

1 Pegging Awl Handle .10 

$2.75 



The prices of these tools change but h'ttle. With the 
addition of a set of good edge-irons and heel-burnishers, 
the above list will make a good kit for a shoemaker who 
works as a journeyman. To start a business, lasts and 
jacks are necessary. 



74 



